English

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Etymology

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Variant of Tao.

Proper noun

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Tau (plural Taus)

  1. A surname from Chinese.

Statistics

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  • According to the 2010 United States Census, Tau is the 41359th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 526 individuals. Tau is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (58.94%) and White (27.95%) individuals.

Further reading

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German

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /taʊ̯/, [tʰaʊ̯]
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: Tau
  • Rhymes: -aʊ̯

Etymology 1

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From Middle High German tou, from Old High German tou, from Proto-Germanic *dawwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (smoke, haze). Compare Low German Dau, Dutch dauw, English dew, compare also Danish dug.

Noun

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Tau m (strong, genitive Taues or Taus, no plural)

  1. dew
Declension
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Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Middle Low German [Term?], from Old Saxon tou, from Proto-Germanic *tawwą. Related to English tow.

Noun

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Tau n (strong, genitive Taues or Taus, plural Taue)

  1. strong rope
Declension
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Derived terms
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Etymology 3

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Borrowed from Ancient Greek ταῦ (taû); see English tau.

Noun

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Tau n (strong, genitive Taus, plural Taus)

  1. tau (greek letter)
    • 1866, Willibald Raila, Der Vokal-Akzent, ein bisher unformulirtes Gesez der Sprachen, insbesonders der deütschen Sprache, page 35:
      Aus zwei Sigma zwei Tau, z. B. πραττειν – πρασσειν zu sprechen, ahmt der Deütsche auch dem Griechen nach, z. B. Splitter und Splisser.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Declension
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Etymology 4

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Noun

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Tau f (genitive Tau, no plural)

  1. (ethnography) Tao people

Further reading

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  • Tau” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • Tau” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • Tau” in Duden online
  •   Tau on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de

Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nb
 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Proper noun

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Tau

  1. Tau (a village outside Stavanger, located in the municipality of Strand, Rogaland)

Anagrams

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn
 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
 
View of the village

Etymology

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Uncertain, but etymologists have pointed to a couple of explanations. One proposes a derivation of Old Norse taufr (sorcery, charms), in reference to the practice of primitive magic in the area, reckoning Taufr to be a name of the creek running through.[1][2] Another proposes a relationship with Old Norse taug (string, rope) and teygja (to stretch out), in reference to the nature of waterflow of said creek.[1]

It was attested through the late medieval and early modern periods as a Taufer (1389), Taugir (1427), and af Thawgh (1463), Thow (1563), Touu (1567), Thouff (1602), Though (1606), Thoug (1610), Thov (1661), and Toug (1723).[2] Another spelling, Tou, is still preserved in the name of a local brewery.

Proper noun

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Tau

  1. Tau (a village outside Stavanger, located in the municipality of Strand, Rogaland)

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Inge Særheim (2007) “Tau”, in Stadnamn i Rogaland [Place Names in Rogaland] (in Norwegian Nynorsk), Fagbokforlaget, page 231
  2. 2.0 2.1 Oluf Rygh (1915) “Tau”, in Norske Gaardnavne [Norwegian Farm Names] (in Norwegian Nynorsk), volume 10, page 235

Anagrams

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Saterland Frisian

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n Tau.

Etymology

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From Old Frisian tau, from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *tawwą. Cognates include West Frisian tou and German Tau.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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Tau n (plural Taue)

  1. rope

References

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  • Marron C. Fort (2015) “Tau”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN